This is the easiest way to cook frozen Tater Tots in the Air Fryer – plus get my bonus recipe for delicious dipping sauce you can make while they're frying!
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What you need to make this recipe
Here's what you need to make these tater tots:
- an Air Fryer (I own and love the Philips Digital Airfryer XXL)
- 1 (800g) bag frozen tater tots
- Cooking spray
- Salt, to taste
Bonus dipping sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp hot sauce
How to make tater tots in the Air Fryer
- Assemble ingredients and preheat Air Fryer to 400 F.
- Coat tater tots in a little bit of cooking spray, then season with salt. Cook for 20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix dipping sauce ingredients together if serving.
- Remove tater tots from the Air fryer.
- Serve and enjoy!
Do you really need the cooking spray?
Using cooking spray helps in two ways. First, it helps to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the fryer basket. This isn't a huge issue, but it's good to use it just in case.
In addition to that, it gives the tots extra crispiness. If you truly want to air fry them without using the spray, they will still be delicious!
Making them crispier
Another option for crisping up the potatoes is to air fry them for an additional five minutes. Just watch them closely so that they don’t burn.
You can also spray some more cooking spray after you shake the basket the first time.
Do you need to preheat the Air Fryer?
Preheating the fryer isn't absolutely necessary. That being said, preheating does help to reduce the cooking time.
Plus, if you add the tater tots while the unit is still cool, they may thaw slightly before the unit heats up enough to start cooking them. As a result, the outside of the tots may be slightly mushy.
What brand of Air Fryer do you use?
I own and love the Philips Digital Airfryer XXL. I really like that it allows me to cook large batches of food at one time.
If you have a smaller family, you certainly don't need the largest size. That being said, it is handy for family-size recipes. This makes it a great choice for making batches of freezer meals and meal prep recipes.
Making the sauce
Making the dipping sauce is really just a matter of combining the ingredients together in a bowl. It is literally just that easy!
The ingredients are mayo, ketchup, BBQ sauce, Dijon mustard, and some hot sauce.
If you want to cut some of the fat, sugar, and calories, feel free to use low-fat and lower sugar substitutes.
For the mayo, you can substitute an equal amount of low fat mayo, or even non-fat sour cream. To cut the sugar, use barbecue sauce and ketchup that don't include corn syrup.
What to serve with tater tots
Anything that you like to serve with baked potatoes or French fries will pair perfectly with fried potato tots!
Thanks to their small size, they’re a kid-friendly finger food. So, they are great with meals like hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
To transform them into a meal of their own, you can top them with some protein. Some ideas include:
- beef or turkey chili
- taco meat
- ground beef, or sloppy Joes
- refried beans
Then, just add some toppings like shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, or diced onion. Now that's what I call some serious comfort food!
Storing and reheating
In the same way that French fries are best when they are fresh from the fryer, the same applies to tater tots.
However, if you do have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator and enjoy them again within a few days.
To reheat the leftovers, arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan. Then, place the pan of tots into a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they are warm all the way through.
You can also reheat them in the Air Fryer at 375 for 5 minutes (make sure to preheat it first!)
More Air Fryer recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- I own and love the Philips Digital Airfryer XXL
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Easiest Air Fryer Tater Tots
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 (800g) bag frozen tater tots
- Cooking spray
- Salt, to taste
Bonus dipping sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 400 F. Coat tater tots in a little bit of cooking spray, then season with salt. Cook for 20 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix dipping sauce ingredients together if serving.
- Remove tater tots from the Air fryer, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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